Front End/Back End co-programmer for '2600 game! Wanted :)

[+Andrew Davie]

If you've been following my Sokoboo game, you may have seen my recent idea of implementing a high-score table online. The game will generate a 9-digit number at the end of each level of the game, and you take that number to a website and enter it - it will show you the "high scores" for that level and let you put your name/initials there if you are one of the "best". That's it in a nutshell.

Pretty simple backend- a database, say MySQL - with some tables to hold high scores, initials, etc. I can design/implement the database if required. I was going to do the whole thing myself - front end, back end, etc... but I thought well, I'm already collaborating with the music and artwork... what's another collaborator going to hurt things?  So, if you'd like your name as official co-developer on an Atari 2600 game - with all the fame, fortune and women that entails... perhaps this is your opportunity.

Seriously, though, I do share credit where it is due - and I'm not nearly as grumpy as some online reviews of my personality would have you think.

If you're web-capable and can design a simple page with user input of 3 number, a decent visual UI, and simple backend hook to a database - and you would like to collaborate with me on Sokoboo... please either post here or PM me!

 

 

[p1FqO3]

Got any takers yet? I'm a software developer. Mostly work on the MS stack, but I'm sure I could handle using whatever tech you'd prefer.

[+Andrew Davie]

13 hours ago, p1FqO3 said:

Got any takers yet? I'm a software developer. Mostly work on the MS stack, but I'm sure I could handle using whatever tech you'd prefer.

No, you're the only/first.

 

I do have a major prejudice against MS stuff. I can't stand the company, or the OS. So, there's that!

 

Having said that, here are my thoughts on what would be nice...

 

 

First, a front-end page showing a grid of 16 x 16 squares, hopefully to fit on a single page on most platforms.  That is, scrolling not required. It's not essential, this just gives you an idea of the size.  Down the left side are the numbers 0 to F (hexadecimal) and across the top edge the same. So, each square is identified by the hex value formed by these two. Each square has a tooltip when you hover the mouse, giving the hex and decimal value of the coordinates of that square.  These squares represent levels, and will be coloured and possibly with a number inside. The colour green to indicate that there are recorded high scores for that level, and red to indicate no high scores. Perhaps instead of pure red/green we could include graduated colours between red/green so that we eventually get a sort of heat-map visualisation of the levels and who is playing them. The number (if present) inside each square would indicate the number of people who have successfully completed that level.

 

Over time, we could see just how difficult the levels are just by the heat map/numbering.

 

That's the "level select" page. That's for manually viewing high scores. You can click on any one of the 256 squares which takes you to a high score screen for that level.  The high score screen would show the top N (say, 3 or so) high scores for that level. A high score consists of a) number of moves taken - the lower the better, and b) the time taken - the lower the better.  The number of moves would be 4 digits (0-9999) and the time taken would be in hours:minutes:seconds.

Finally, another page would allow entry of your own high score, using a 9-digit code given by the game. It would be nice if the 9-digit code could be in huge letters, in a 3x3 grid but pretty much the same size as the 16x16 grid on the front-end page.  When you get to the page, and start typing numbers, they appear one by one - left to right and top to bottom in the 3x3 grid so that it looks just like in the game. Once you enter the final letter (or perhaps when you click a button to process) then you are taken to the high score display for the level that is encoded in the 9 digits.

 

So, that's about it. Three main screens - preferably non-scrolling. 

As to technology, I am not up on these things - but I do have a mySQL database on my server - and php of course. I was thinking a fairly simple bit of php programming would do most of this stuff.  The database access would be minimal.

 

1) 16x16 level screen - simply query for the number of entries for each of the 256 levels.

2) High score screen - select entries for the given level, then sort according to #moves (first) and within that time.

3) entry screen - only needs to decode the coded 9 digit number and then put the resultant level/moves/time into the database

 

Well, that's my vision.

 

 

[+Andrew Davie]

I now have a keen volunteer for this task who will work with me on PHP/mySQL. Probably.

@p1FqO3 I appreciate your offer - maybe next game...

 

[p1FqO3]

@Andrew Davie Cool. I would have done it in PHP/mySQL, but my lack of experience would have made it a bit slower.

 

For the record, I hate MS just as much, I use Linux for personal use, I won't even install .NET Core. But my career has lead to using MS stuff for almost all my employers/customers. It's all enterprise software and since they're just self-inflicting MS lock-in on themselves, and not the general public, I don't feel too guilty about it